Bhupinder Singh Gill made history as the Premier League's first Sikh-Punjabi assistant referee on Wednesday when he ran the line in Southampton's home game against Nottingham Forest at St Mary's.
The 37-year-old comes from a soccer family, with father Jarnail Singh the first referee to wear a turban in the English league and officiating in more than 150 Football League (EFL) games between 2004-10.
Bhupinder's elder brother Sunny is also an EFL referee.
"This has to be the proudest and most exciting moment in my refereeing journey, but I’m not getting carried away as it is just another step in the direction to where I want to get to," Bhupinder told English media before the game.
"Hopefully, this is another moment to help inspire the next generation to sign up to a refereeing course and get into officiating.
"My dream has always been to reach the top of the game, be a role model for future officials and encourage more people from diverse backgrounds into officiating, especially from a South Asian background just like me."
Colombia has secured their place in the World Cup Round of 32 with a game to spare after a 1-0 victory over DR Congo in Group K on Tuesday, with Daniel Munoz scoring the winner after the South Americans had been frustrated for much of the evening.
Qatar's sports minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, and national team player Assim Madibo have visited Canada midfielder Ismael Kone to check on his health after he was injured during their World Cup game, the Qatar Football Association said on Wednesday.
Ante Budimir has guided Croatia to a 1-0 win over a stubborn Panama side in their World Cup Group L clash on Tuesday, giving the Balkan side a crucial three points and eliminating the Central Americans on a night where the stakes were high for both sides.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups and Portugal’s all-time leading marksman at the global finals with two goals in Tuesday’s emphatic 5-0 Group K win over Uzbekistan in Houston.
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